Self storing protest flag used in boat races

ABSTRACT

A protest flag, useful in sail boat racing, is normally stored in an furled condition and in that stored condition, may be conveniently and quickly attached to, and detached from a sail boat boom. Once so attached to the boom, the flag may be allowed to unfurl under the influence of gravity forces by applying a gentle tug to a lanyard which is associated with means whereby the flag is normally stored. This arrangement is suitable for sail boat booms of different sizes and types and may be quickly attached thereto prepatory to racing, and detached therefrom, when not racing.

[ Dec. 16, 1975 SELF STORING PROTEST FLAG USED IN BOAT RACES [75] Inventor: Cullen M. Sabin, Solana Beach,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Geoscience Ltd., Solana Beach,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Feb. 25, 1975 [21] Appl. No.: 552,928

[52] US. Cl. 116/26; 116/173 [51] Int. Cl. G09F 17/00 [58] Field of Search 116/26, 173, 174; 40/128,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 198,917 l/l878 Wallace 160/368 R 1,110,857 9/1914 Applas 160/330 Frear 116/173 Kohl 116/173 Primary ExaminerS. Clement Swisher Assistant Examiner-Denis E. Corr Attorney, Agent, or FirmLyon & Lyon 5 7 ABSTRACT A protest flag, useful in sail boat racing, is normally stored in an furled condition and in that stored condition, may be conveniently and quickly attached to, and detached from a sail boat boom. Once so attached to the boom, the flag may be allowed to unfurl under the influence of gravity forces by applying a gentle tug to a lanyard which is associated with means whereby the flag is normally stored. This arrangement is suitable for sail boat booms of different sizes and types and may be quickly attached thereto prepatory to racing, and detached therefrom, when not racing.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 ited to, use in sail boat racing.

In racing said boats, it is usually the custom for the judges to be notified immediately of the occurrence of any fouls. This notification usually involves the display of a red protest flag which, of course, is normally not displayed, but maintained in a stored condition for possible use. When a foul occurs between boats, the skipper who wishes to protest the others action, must indicate this wish by displaying a red flag for the remainder of the race. In some instances, particularly in the youth classes, there may be an additional rule that the fouled boat must protest or be disqualified.

Sailing a dinghy single handed occupies both hands practically all of the time, and people go through some fairly comical activities attempting to wedge, hold up, or otherwise display a red flag while sailing.

The present invention has for one of its objects, to provide an arrangement which may be quickly attached to and detached from a sail boat boom, but which is difficult to knock loose accidentally, and from which the flag may be displayed by a single pull of a string or lanyard with the arrangement being easily installable and removable from the boat when not racing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of this character which may be mounted on different kinds and sizes of sail boat booms, and yet satisfy the requirements for racing in small craft classes.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: I

FIG. 1 is perspective view of an arrangement, embodying features of the present invention, mounted on a sail boat boom and with the normally self stored protest flag, being in a displayed condition.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the other side of the boom of FIG. 1 with adhesive material on the centermost one of the three flexible webs or strips for engagement with cooperating adhesive material on the flag retaining flexible strip to which the lanyard or string is attached in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is in general, a sectional view taken as indicated in the direction of the arrows 3-3 in FIG. 1 but with the protest flag in its stored, non-displayed or furled condition.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view like FIG. 3 but of a modified arrangement mounted on a different type sail boat boom.

In the drawings, in FIG. 1, the boom 9 of a sailing boat has a protest flag 10 releasably secured thereto such that the flag l0, normally in its stored or furled condition shown in FIG. 3, may be allowed to become unfurled to assume the flag display condition shown in FIG. 1 by a gentle pull or tug on the lanyard or loop string 12.

The flag 10 is of red cloth stitched to form hems 10A, 10B along its side edges. The bottom edge 10C, is also 2 stitched to form a closed pocket 10D for retention of a stiffening strip 13 (FIG. 3) which may be of metal or plastic.

The upper edge 10D of the red flag 10 is stitched to a short length of white cloth 15 which has its lower end folded back and stitched to form a closed pocket 15A within which a stifi strip 17 of material such as metal or plastic is confined. The upper end 15B of the white material 15 is folded and stitched to form the pocket 15C within which the strip 19 of stiffening material is confined. Stitched to such upper end 15B, are an intermediate portion of each of three cloth strips, flaps or webs 20, 21 and 22. Each of these flaps or webs have a short end and a long end, the short ends 20A, 21A, 22A being of length to lie against the side of the boom as shown in FIG. 1 and longer ends 20B, 21B, 22B being of sufficient length to extend a distance slightly less than the circumference of the usual boom.

As seen in FIG. 1, the ends of each of the webs 20, 21, 22 have quickly attachable and detachable means illustrated herein, in the form of so called hook and pile material furnished by Velcro Corp. This particular means illustrated, is commercially available and cooperating elements are sewn on the web ends and function in conventional matter to attach to each other when pressure is applied between the same. This engagement may be released when desired by slight upward manual pull on the lower edge portions of each of the corresponding strip, web or flap portions 20B 21B, 22B.

Once the arrangement is releasably secured to the boom as shown in FIG. 1, the flag 10, if not previously rolled or furled, may be rolled or furled to assume its stored condition shown in FIG. 3 after which the flag is releasably retained in such stored condition by the connection between cooperating hook and pile materials 30, 31 respectively on the outer portion of the center web 21 and on the short web 34 to which the lanyard 12 is suitably secured as for example by stitching, such flap 34 of cloth being stitched to the lower portion of cloth material 15.

When it is desired to display the flag, the lanyard or string 12 is pulled downwardly in FIG. 3 to thereby break the connection between the materials 30 and 31 whereupon gravity forces cause flag 10 to assume the display condition as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified arrangement useful when the sail boat has a different type of boom, i.e., one which has a re-entrant portion 9A. In this instance, the webs 20, 21, 22 do not extend around the boom as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 but their attachable ends cooperate with corresponding cooperating adhesive materials 40, 41 bonded or otherwise secured to the boom.

Other arrangements may be used to effect an unfurling of the flag in accordance with the teachings herein. For example, it is possible to eliminate the intermediate web 21 in which case a shortened flap 34 has material thereon cooperating with mating material carried on pocket portion 15A. In this latter instance, the pocket 15A may be larger to retain larger stiffening material strip 19.

Another arrangement which eliminates the necessity for the intermediate flap 21 may involve the use of a lanyard stitched to a different form of cloth flap which in such case may extend between and over the flaps 20,22 with hook material on ends of such lanyard flap engaging pile material on the flaps 20,22. In any event, downward pull of the lanyard results in the flag becoming unfurled with the upper end of the unfurled flag being releasably secured to the boom.

It will be seen that the flag is of cloth like material. It is adapted for attachment to a support 9, either of the type shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4. For this latter purpose, the cloth base strip has one edge thereof, secured to one edge of the cloth like material 10. There is a means including adhesive like material secured to the base strip 15 for quickly attaching and detaching the base strip 15 to the support 9 and as indicated previously, this means may take different forms and shapes such as in FIG. 1 wherein the adhesive like material is on straps and 22; and in FIG. 4 where either shorter flaps 20,22 are used or the strip material 15 itself may be extended with adhesive like material being provided so that, in any case, there is a quickly attachable and detachable connection between the base strip 15 and the support 9. Likewise as indicated previously, there is lanyard means provided with a quickly attachable and detachable connection being provided between the lanyard means and the strip 15, such that lanyard means may releasably maintain the flag in a furled condition.

Thus in general, in each arrangement there are two quickly attachable and detachable connections, one of such connections being to releasably secure the flag supporting strip 15 and the other connection serving to releasably maintain the flag in a stored condition. There is a unique relationship between these two quickly attachable and detachable connections, although they each may be of the same character, in that one of such connections may be released by exerting a pulling force without releasing the other. This is so since as exemplified in FIG. 3, a downward pull on the lanyard 12 produces a force on the flap 34 such that the adhesive like material 31 peels away from the mating cooperating adhesive material 30 on the flap 21 and while this so called peeling action takes place, there is no like peeling action between the mating adhesive materials on the flap 21. This assures the desired result namely, an unfurling of the flag and yet maintaining the upper edge of the flag supported on the boom.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes, and modfications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims, is to cover all changes and modfications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A flag or the like of clothlike material for attachment to a support, a cloth base strip having one edge thereof secured to one edge of said clothlike material, means including adhesive like material secured to said base strip for quickly attaching and detaching said base strip to said support, and quickly attachable and detachable means for releasably maintaining said clothlike material in a furled condition.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said means for quickly attaching and detaching said base strip to said support includes a flap means which at least partially encircles said support.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 in which said flap means encircles said support and has mating quickly attachable and detachable means for maintaining said flag in supported condition.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the last mentioned means has a lanyard secured thereto which when pulled causes the flag to become unfurled.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 including stiffening strip means near and extending along said one edge, stiffening strip means on and near the other opposite edge of said clothlike like material.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5 including stiffening strip means on and near the opposite edge of said cloth base strip.

7. A flag or the like of clothlike material for releasable attachment to a support, first quickly attachable and detachable means for securing one edge of said flag to said support, second quickly attachable and detachable means releasably maintaining said flag in a furled condition, third means for exerting a force on said second means to disable said second means, said first and said second means being related such that operation of said third means to disable said second means and thereby allow said flag to be changed from a furled condition to an unfurled condition without changing the effectiveness of said first means.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 7 in which said first and said second means each includes hook and pile cooperating materials which when pressed together provide a quickly detachable connection that may be disestablished when one of such materials is peeled away from the other cooperating material. 

1. A flag or the like of clothlike material for attachment to a support, a cloth base strip having one edge thereof secured to one edge of said clothlike material, means including adhesive like material secured to said base strip for quickly attaching and detaching said base strip to said support, and quickly attachable and detachable means for releasably maintaining said clothlike material in a furled condition.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said means for quickly attaching and detaching said base strip to said support includes a flap means which at least partially encircles said support.
 3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 in which said flap means encircles said support and has mating quickly attachable and detachable means for maintaining said flag in supported condition.
 4. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the last mentioned means has a lanyard secured thereto which when pulled causes the flag to become unfurled.
 5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 including stiffening strip means near and extending along said one edge, stiffening strip means on and near the other opposite edge of said clothlike like material.
 6. The combination as set forth in claim 5 including stiffening strip means on and near the opposite edge of said cloth base strip.
 7. A flag or the like of clothlike material for releasable attachment to a support, first quickly attachable and detachable means for securing one edge of said flag to Said support, second quickly attachable and detachable means releasably maintaining said flag in a furled condition, third means for exerting a force on said second means to disable said second means, said first and said second means being related such that operation of said third means to disable said second means and thereby allow said flag to be changed from a furled condition to an unfurled condition without changing the effectiveness of said first means.
 8. The combination as set forth in claim 7 in which said first and said second means each includes hook and pile cooperating materials which when pressed together provide a quickly detachable connection that may be disestablished when one of such materials is peeled away from the other cooperating material. 